Keto Crockpot Appetizers Recipes: A Delicious and Convenient Guide

This article explores a variety of keto-friendly appetizer recipes that can be easily prepared in a crockpot, making them perfect for parties, game days, or any occasion where you want a delicious and convenient dish. These recipes are designed to be low in carbohydrates, catering to those following a ketogenic diet while still delivering great flavor and satisfaction.

Low Carb Crockpot Cheesy Sausage Dip

This low-carb crockpot cheesy sausage dip is true comfort food and a guaranteed crowd-pleaser. It's an amazingly delicious dip that will get rave reviews every time you serve it.

Ingredients and Options

• Sausage: You have several options for the sausage. Plain ground pork, containing only pork or pork and salt, is a reliable choice with zero carbs. Mild or hot pork sausage can also be used, but be sure to check nutrition labels for unwanted added ingredients. If using sausage links, remove the casings and break up the sausage before cooking.
• Creamy Base: The creamy base for this dip is cream cheese.
• Tomatoes and Chilies: Diced tomatoes and green chilies with a medium spice level are recommended, but you can adjust the spice level to your preference with mild or hot varieties. Use all the juice along with the tomatoes and green chilies to get the perfect texture.
• Cheese: Medium or sharp cheddar cheese is typically used. Shred your own cheese for optimal melting and creaminess, as pre-shredded cheeses often contain cellulose powder or potato starch.

Serving Suggestions

There are several keto-friendly options for serving this dip. Enjoy it plain in a bowl or use low-carb veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cherry or grape tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, or sliced bell peppers or radishes as dippers. Keto chips or crackers, cheese whisps, or pork rinds also work well. Even sliced cheese can be used - simply spoon a little dip onto the cheese and enjoy!

Instructions

1. Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks.
2. While sausage is cooking, put cubed cream cheese, undrained diced tomatoes and green chilies, shredded cheese, and paprika into a 6 or 7-quart crockpot and turn on high.
3. When sausage is cooked through, drain the fat. Add sausage to crockpot and stir to combine ingredients.
4. Cook on high for 1½-2 hours or until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is heated through, stirring every 30 minutes.

Keto Little Smokies

This easy Keto Lil Smokies Recipe uses the crock pot for a no-fuss appetizer. This delicious recipe for Keto Lil Smokies is just like that classic version at every American potluck party - A bit smoky, a bit sweet, and covered in tangy barbecue sauce. These can be frozen before or after cooking, so you can easily prepare yourself for the parties or company coming up in the next couple of months.

Ingredients

• Lit’l Smokies - I used Hillshire Farm pork, but other brands work, too. They carry pork, beef, and turkey.
• Sugar-Free Hickory Barbecue Sauce - I used G Hughes hickory sauce, but you can use whatever low-carb barbecue sauce you like best.
• Golden Monk Fruit - I used the Lakanto brand, but you can use another 1:1 brown sugar replacement if you prefer something else.
• Worcestershire Sauce - This adds a great depth of flavor and helps balance out the sweetness of the recipe. If you don’t have this, replace it with your favorite steak marinade.
• Liquid Smoke (optional) - If you love that smoke flavor, add a bit of liquid smoke.

Instructions

1. Add the barbecue sauce, sweetener, and Worcestershire sauce to the slow cooker.
2. Stir these ingredients to form a well-combined sauce, then pour in both (drained) packages of little smokies.
3. Mix all of this together, making sure every single piece is coated in sauce.
4. Cook on low for 1-2 hours. This cooking time will depend on the size and power of your slow cooker as well as the temperature of the ingredients when you started cooking. It’s safest to check at the 45 minute mark, then I’d check and stir every 15 minutes after that until they are warmed throughout. Stir at least once during the cooking to ensure even cooking.

Serving and Storage

These Lil Smokies can be served hot right out of the slow cooker or even cold from a lunch box. For game day, Keto Pretzel Bites with Cheese Sauce or Keto Chicken Wings would be perfect with these Lil Smokies! Completely cooled Little Smokies can be stored in an airtight container up to 4 days in the fridge. If you’re sitting this out for a party, make sure it’s in a slow cooker to stay warm.

Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers

Freezing Instructions

Little Smokies can be frozen, and it’s very easy! Pour your Keto Little Smokies into a freezer bag, closing and sucking out any remaining air in the bag. Double bag if your freezer struggles with freezer burn. If possible, lay the bag flat in the freezer for 1 day, then it can be leaned up vertically to save you freezer space. Raw little smokies can be frozen, too! For a super easy meal prep appetizer, just pour your sauce ingredients in a freezer bag and mix or shake until all the ingredients are well combined. Add your raw sausages, close, and freeze like the cooked sausages above.

Reheating Leftovers

• Slow Cooker - Just pour back into the slow cooker, then turn on low to reheat.
• Skillet - On medium low, pour the sauce and Lil Smokies into the skillet.
• Microwave - Add 1-2 servings to a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30-second bursts, stirring between cooking times.
• Oven - Preheat to 350 degrees F, and pour your leftover Lil Smokies into a baking dish. Cover with foil or a lid, and reheat 10-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Tips and Variations

• Meat Options: This recipe works great with little smokies made of other meats, too. Beef, turkey, and other options will use the same cooking instructions.
• Crock Pot Size: A small 2-quart slow cooker is the perfect size. If you are making a double batch, you will want a larger slow cooker.
• Warm Setting: If you are bringing this to a party or potluck, try finding a slow cooker with the "warm" function so you aren’t burning them on low for hours.
• Crock Pot Minimum: Do not make a single batch in a large crock pot - Manufacturers recommend filling your cooker at least 1/2 full for proper cooking.
• No Crock Pot? You can still enjoy this appetizer without a slow cooker! In a medium sized pot, combine your ingredients and cover with a lid. On medium low heat, cook 30 minutes to an hour. Make sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to make sure the sauce isn’t burning.

Low Carb Sweet and Sour Meatballs

These meatballs are one of those simple slow cooker appetizers or to make and great for a busy weeknight meal. With our low carb sweet and sour version you don't have to miss out!

Ingredients

• Frozen pre-made meatballs or homemade (preference)
• Low carb jam sweetened with natural sweeteners like monkfruit or stevia
• Chili sauce or barbeque sauce (if you don't like chili sauce you can swap it with barbeque sauce)

Instructions

1. Simply add in the ingredients to the slow cooker, set it and forget it.
2. Stir around and set your slow cooker to low for 8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

Storage and Reheating

These meatballs will store in the fridge for up to three days. You can freeze your leftover meatballs if you don't eat them all. Then when you go to thaw them let them sit in the fridge the night before, or add to the slow cooker and warm them up.

• Set slow cooker to high, cover and set aside.

Homemade Meatball Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Grease a sheet pan with Olive oil.
3. Mix all meatball ingredients together in a bowl.
4. One by one, take just under a tablespoon-size scoop of the mixture into wet hands (this helps tremendously to keep meat from sticking to hands). Work each scoop into a ball about 1" to 1 1/4" in diameter. Place each meatball on the prepared pan. Ideally, you will end up with a total of 45 meatballs.
5. Transfer the cooked meatballs from baking sheet into your slow cooker.
6. Drizzle the prepared glaze on top.
7. Gently mix the meatballs into the glaze.
8. Cover and cook on high 2-3 hours or on low 6-8 hours.
9. Allow to cool a bit before serving. Meatballs may be served warm or at room temperature.

Serving Suggestions

Sweet and savory with a touch of spicy. This keto sweet and savory party meatball Crockpot slow-cooker recipe is the perfect party pleaser. Kiddos and grownups both dig ’em! My five-year-old ate 15 of these meatballs in a single sitting before I had to cut her off. No joke! Double the recipe batch if you’re serving a crowd. Trust me, you’ll be everybody’s BFF if you do.

Keto Buffalo Chicken Dip

This easy Keto Buffalo Chicken Dip is a fabulous low carb appetizer you can slow cook in the crockpot or bake to perfection with chicken, cream cheese, hot sauce & more cheese. By far the best keto gameday food!

Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide

Ingredients

• Chicken-Use leftovers if you have them! Or make it ahead. On meal prep day, you can cook a whole chicken in your Instant Pot and shred it or bake it in the oven. You can also boil 5-6 chicken breasts and shred them.

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker.
2. Cook until heated through and cheese is melted.

Serving Suggestions

Everybody loves this dip - not just those of us counting carbs! Count on this recipe serving 10 - 12 people - depending on how big the serving spoon is:) If you’re making this dip for a party, you may want to double up - you won’t regret it.

Additional Keto Appetizer Ideas

Beyond crockpot recipes, here are some other keto-friendly appetizer ideas:

• BLT Egglets: A cross between a BLT sandwich and egg salad, but portable.
• Roasted Shrimp Cocktail With Lemon-Horseradish Aioli
• Bacon Guac Bombs
• Air Fryer Caprese Stuffed Portobello Mushroom
• Instant Pot Wings: Cooking wings in an Instant Pot allows for them to get nice and tender before being crisped to perfection under the broiler.
• Harissa Deviled Eggs: The bite-sized party classic gets a smoky kick from harissa (Tunisian chili pepper paste).
• Air Fryer Loaded Zucchini Skins
• Caprese Bites: This is the easiest appetizer that always wins, particularly when you make your own balsamic glaze.
• Bacon-Wrapped Scallops: Only 5 ingredients!
• Best Guacamole: Keep it simple to really let the star of the show-avocados-shine.
• Keto Tortilla Chips
• Reuben Pickle Bites: Pair all those delicious ingredients between pickle chips for the the perfect bite-size appetizer. To make it fully keto-friendly, just swap out the sweet pickle relish for regular relish!
• Air Fryer Steak Bites: Air-fried to juicy perfection and tossed in warm garlic butter.
• Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower: All the Buffalo flavor you love coat these florets, which are then air-fried to perfection.
• Deviled Eggs
• Salami Chips: This salty, low-carb snack doubles as a great GF party app.
• Keto Taco Cups: Taco shells made out of cheese = the ultimate keto hack. We're basically talking about frico, an Italian cooking method in which cheese is cooked in a pan until slightly crispy but malleable.
• Bacon Zucchini Fries: Roasted zucchini wedges wrapped in bacon.
• California Sushi Bites: This crunchy cucumber snack is inspired by a popular (but not traditional Japanese) type of sushi popular in the states called maki.
• Bacon Avocado Fries
• Buffalo Cauliflower: Seasoned with savory spices then tossed in a buttery buffalo sauce.
• Keto Mozzarella Sticks: WAY better than the freezer aisle option!

Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto

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